Job 29

Job 29 follows Job 28, which celebrates the source of wisdom. Here Job begins his final extended defense (chapters 29–31). Chapter 29 recalls his former glory, Job 30 describes his present misery, and Job 31 contains his oath of innocence.

Outline

• Verse 1 Job resumes speaking, continuing his "parable" (speech interwoven with figurative language).
• Verses 2–6 He longs for the time when God watched over him. In those days God's lamp shone upon his head, his children were around him, and he enjoyed such abundance that butter and oil overflowed.
• Verses 7–11 When Job took his seat at the city gate, the young men hid themselves and the aged rose to their feet; even princes and nobles fell silent.
• Verses 12–17 Job delivered the poor and the fatherless and made the widow's heart sing for joy. He was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame, and he broke the jaws of the wicked and recovered what they had seized.
• Verses 18–20 At that time Job expected to live long in his own nest and to end his days there.
• Verses 21–25 The people waited for Job's words as for dew and the latter rain. Job sat in the chief place like a king and was like one who comforts mourners.

Key Verses

• Job 29:2 "Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me" — this single sentence captures the longing that runs through the entire chapter.
• Job 29:14 "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me" — righteousness is likened to a garment worn on the body.
• Job 29:15–16 "I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor" — these verses vividly depict how Job cared for his neighbors.

Characters and Places

• Job: the speaker of the chapter.
• The city gate: the place in ancient towns where elders gathered to hear legal cases and conduct public business. It is not a specific place name.

Points for Reflection

• Verses 12–17 can be read as a rebuttal of Job 22:6–9, where Eliphaz accused Job of mistreating widows and orphans. They also connect with Job 1, which introduces Job as "perfect and upright."
• The word "I" appears repeatedly in this chapter. Some interpreters therefore see in it Job's reliance on his own righteousness and read it in connection with the speeches of Elihu that follow and with God's response (chapters 38 and following). Others regard it as Job's honest testimony to his integrity in the midst of suffering.
• The Korean Revised Version's rendering "the friendship of God" in verse 4 (KJV: "the secret of God") is understood to refer to intimate fellowship with God.
• In the New Testament context, the chapter is often read alongside James 1:27, which describes pure religion as visiting "the fatherless and widows," and James 5:11, which speaks of "the patience of Job."